What Would It Take to End Homelessness in the United States?

Ending homelessness in the United States has remained stubbornly out of reach. Despite hundreds of federal, state, and local plans to end homelessness, most have ended unsuccessfully—due to a range of issues, notably insufficient resources. Homelessness persists and, in many communities, has increased because of myriad intervening factors—many of which lie outside the control of the systems tasked with solving it. This paper summarizes the evidence for effective interventions that need to be replicated and scaled. In a nod to pragmatism, we present two paths based on two hypothetical policy environments. First, we offer the best evidence-based approaches that can be implemented and scaled within the existing federal policymaking environment. These efforts may require additional investments at the federal, state, or local level. In this first state, it will be difficult to end homelessness, but significant progress can be achieved. Second, we present an alternative state in which the federal government prioritizes greater investments, with the goal of addressing the structural housing drivers of the level of homelessness. In this environment, larger commitments to rental assistance, housing subsidies, and homelessness responses would create an environment in which fundamental progress in the fight against homelessness could be achieved.